West
Pepperdine University cross survives Franklin Fire: ‘Grateful to God’
A cross overlooking Pepperdine University miraculously withstood a wildfire that came dangerously close to the Malibu, California, campus and forced students to shelter in place earlier this week.
A video shared by the campus on Wednesday shows a discernible hiking trail leading up to the unscathed cross surrounded by scorched dirt and vegetation.
The school shared an unattributed quote from someone who said they became “teary-eyed” and “grateful to God” as they moved closer to the cross.
The cross sits at the top of a hiking trail that extends three miles into the Santa Monica Mountains.
MALIBU WILDFIRE FORCES CELEBRITIES TO FLEE LUXURY HOMES AS DEVASTATION SPREADS
A cross sitting atop the Santa Monica Mountains overlooking the campus of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. (Pepperdine University)
The original cross burned down during the Woolsey Fire in 2018. The current 20-foot cross was placed there by the brothers of the Sigma Chi fraternity, the school said in a blog post.
In the meantime, firefighters are continuing to battle the blaze – dubbed the Franklin Fire – which was only 20% contained on Thursday.
The Franklin Fire rages through the upscale city of Malibu. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The flames were fed by powerful winds that swept through the region at the beginning of the week, making it difficult for firefighters to control the flames.
FIREFIGHTERS STRUGGLE TO CONTAIN FAST-MOVING MALIBU WILDFIRE, PROMPTING EVACUATION ORDERS
The weather improved so much on Wednesday that meteorologists discontinued all red flag warnings, which indicate high fire danger, and crews were able to successfully push back against the flames.
The city, which is about 45 miles north of Los Angeles, is known for its rugged canyons, stunning bluffs and celebrities’ seaside mansions.
The Franklin Fire caused a shelter-in-place order at Pepperdine University in Malibu as flames surrounded the campus. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
More than 3,700 Malibu residents have been allowed to return to their homes, but another 1,600 people with homes in the city remained under evacuation orders. A
ll told, some 20,000 residents in the city and neighboring areas have been affected by mandatory evacuation orders and warnings since the fire broke out late Monday.
The Franklin Fire rages through Malibu. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The evacuation orders impacted many celebrities who live in the city, including Cher, Jane Seymour and Dick Van Dyke, among others.
Early analysis shows little to no damage to structures at Pepperdine University. Final exams were postponed or canceled, and faculty members were determining how best to complete the semester, which ends this week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
KALISPELL, Mont. — Two app development teams from Code Girls United won the Congressional App Challenge in both Montana districts.
A team with Lily Kirkaldie, Charlie Kotthoff, and Danica Sabo from Great Falls won with their app ‘Cursive Create’.
The app helps teach cursive writing, which the team said is important since cursive is no longer taught in schools.
Three senior students from Browning High School, Aiyahna Green, Kalani Sun Rhodes, and Keesha Guerrero-Gobert, won with their app ‘Sspomo’.
This app provides awareness and resources for people facing mental health challenges, and was inspired by the Blackfeet tribe.
“They were really thoughtful about their community and what was affecting the people that they knew on the reservation, and what they could actually do to help them,” said Code Girls United CEO Marianne Smith.
“What they were seeing in the community was depression and other mental health issues, so they specifically wanted to create an app that would be able to help people that were in that same situation,” said Smith.
Both teams will travel to Washington D.C. for the National Science Fair’s ‘House of Code’, where they will showcase their apps in the U.S. Capitol.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION (1)
The event is scheduled for April 21 and 22.
Nevada’s population growth slowed dramatically last year, according to new statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau.
New figures from the government agency showed Nevada grew 0.9 percent, which put it in the top 10 states for percentage growth (9th) from July 2024 to July 2025. However, this is down from July 2023 to July 2024 when the state grew by 1.7 percent.
In July 2024, Nevada had 3,253,543 residents, and in July of last year it had 3,282,188. From July 2023 to July 2024, Nevada was the sixth fastest-growing state in the country, which meant it dropped three spots for the time period of July 2024 to July 2025.
Nevada expanded from 3,214,363 residents in July 2023 to 3,267,467 in July 2024, which turned out to be the fastest year-over-year growth rate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, since before the pandemic in 2019. However, all of these growth rates are below the time frame of 2015 to 2018 when the state saw unprecedented population growth.
Overall, U.S. population growth slowed “significantly” from July 2024 to July of last year with an increase of only 1.8 million people, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This was the lowest population growth for the country since the early days of the pandemic when the population grew only 0.2 percent in 2021 year-over-year.
This population slowdown across the country follows a “sizeable” uptick in the growth rate in 2024 when the U.S. added 3.2 million people and grew 1 percent, the fastest annual population growth rate since all the way back in 2006.
“The slowdown in U.S. population growth is largely due to a historic decline in net international migration, which dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025,” said Christine Hartley, the assistant division chief for Estimates and Projections at the U.S. Census Bureau. “With births and deaths remaining relatively stable compared to the prior year, the sharp decline in net international migration is the main reason for the slower growth rate we see today.”
The population growth drop was felt across the country as all four census regions (West, Midwest, Northeast and the South) and every state except Montana and West Virginia saw growth slow or a decline in acceleration.
Five U.S. states experienced population decline from July 2024 to July 2025: California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia.
Contact Patrick Blennerhassett at pblennerhassett@reviewjournal.com.
Illinois Racing Board suspends Hawthorne Race Course’s license, putting future in jeopardy
Watch: IU football honored before IU-Purdue basketball game
Trump launches midterm push in Iowa, warns losses would derail agenda: ‘We gotta win’
Kansas Congress Members Express Alarm at Lethal Force by Federal Agents
Kentucky vs Vanderbilt score today, UK basketball game updates
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Video: F.A.A. Ignored Safety Concerns Prior to Collision Over Potomac, N.T.S.B. Says
Democrats demand Kristi Noem be fired or warn impeachment will follow
EU Commissioner Virkkunen urges US to respect EU digital rules
Families of killed men file first U.S. federal lawsuit over drug boat strikes
Video: New Video Analysis Reveals Flawed and Fatal Decisions in Shooting of Pretti
-
Sports1 week agoMiami’s Carson Beck turns heads with stunning admission about attending classes as college athlete
-
Illinois6 days agoIllinois school closings tomorrow: How to check if your school is closed due to extreme cold
-
Pittsburg, PA1 week agoSean McDermott Should Be Steelers Next Head Coach
-
Lifestyle1 week agoNick Fuentes & Andrew Tate Party to Kanye’s Banned ‘Heil Hitler’
-
Pennsylvania2 days agoRare ‘avalanche’ blocks Pennsylvania road during major snowstorm
-
Sports1 week agoMiami star throws punch at Indiana player after national championship loss
-
Cleveland, OH1 week agoNortheast Ohio cities dealing with rock salt shortage during peak of winter season
-
Science1 week ago‘It is scary’: Oak-killing beetle reaches Ventura County, significantly expanding range